Polypropylene compositions have gained wide commercial acceptance and usage in numerous applications because of the relatively low cost of the polymers and the desirable properties they exhibit. In general, polypropylene polymers, particularly propylene homopolymers, have a disadvantage of being brittle with low impact resistance, especially at low temperatures. To address these issues, manufacturers have incorporated another material rubber, which forms a dispersed phase within the polypropylene matrix. These two-phase materials are referred to as impact copolymers or ICPs.
On the other hand, polypropylene is nonpolar in chemical nature. A compatibilizer may be needed to blend polypropylene and another relatively polar polymer, mix polypropylene based polymers with fillers such as glass fibers, or apply polypropylene onto a substrate such as wood. It would be desirable to have polypropylene based polymers which are chemically more compatible with other materials while also having improved mechanical properties.